TIGSource: Pixel, many of our readers are interested in your background - age, occupation, hobbies, etc. Can you tell us a little about yourself personally?

What is a typical day like for you?

Pixel: At the time I started work on Cave Story, I was a student, but now I'm an office worker. My entire life had changed by the time this game was finished.

I commute to and from work by bicycle. I work as a software developer, but not with anything that has to do with games. At home, I help with household duties and child care. Any personal software development of mine takes place primarily late at night.

TIGSource: How long did you spend developing Doukutsu?

Pixel: It's been five years since I first thought to myself, "Hey, why not try making a game?" I developed Cave Story at my own pace, taking my time, and while doing so I released a few other smaller games as well.

TIGSource: How much of the game did you plan beforehand, and how much did you create as you went along? How much does the final game resemble your initial design?

Pixel: Before I started, I wrote the theme music (the Plantation theme), but other than that almost nothing was set in place, because even if I decide on something beforehand, I'm never able to realize it as I imagined.

Just about everything in the game was made up as I went along. Thanks in no small part to support from my friends, the scale of the game grew larger and the level of polish grew higher than I'd ever imagined.

TIGSource: What inspired you to create such a game? Was it simply to make a good game and entertain players, or something more?

Pixel: When I was little, the video games I played made me want to try making my own. I've been influenced by several games that are already out there, as I'm sure players have noticed.

TIGSource: The story of Doukutsu only hints at the world in which the game takes place. How much of this world have you created that we don't see in the game? Will we get to see more of it later on?

Pixel: Nothing of that world exists beyond what you see in the game, as I don't have the skills to construct anything further. I leave the details of Cave Story's world to the player's imagination.

TIGSource: The characters in Doukutsu are very memorable. Are any of them inspired by real life people?

Pixel: No, none.

TIGSource: By the way, what is Balrog, exactly? And what is his relation to Pooh Black, since they look so similar?

Pixel: I leave that to the player's imagination.

TIGSource: What kind of coverage has Doukutsu gotten from the game media in Japan?

Pixel: It has appeared in several magazines, with more on the way, I gather, but none of them have had a page focused on Cave Story in particular. Rather, it's been mixed in on pages with lots of other freeware titles.

TIGSource: Were you surprised by the game's success?

Pixel: I slaved away for long hours just for the joyous moment of completion, but the period I finally finished it in was such a hectic one that joy took a back seat to simple relief. Something like, "That's the last time I'll ever work on something that's such a pain..."

TIGSource: What were the easiest parts of developing Doukutsu? What were the hardest parts?

Pixel: Oh, it was a world of trouble. Thinking up each new development was fun, but making it all cohere took far too much doing.

TIGSource: What have you learned from making this game?

Pixel: I learned a number of things from certain anonymous coders who cheered on my work. I'm not good at looking things up, so it was a great boon to me.

TIGSource: Is there anything you would have done differently?

Pixel: As it turned out, the game reached completion successfully, and I'm quite satisfied with that. However, were I ever to make another game, I would hope that I'd be more earnest with the construction of things like the map editor and the various specialized data-management tools. (My work on those this time was a bit slapdash, and that led to problems down the line...)

TIGSource: Have you worked in the commercial games industry before? What are your thoughts about it?

Pixel: I've never worked in the game industry. I don't know much about the current state of the industry, but I gather that they're making lots of amazing games that would've been unthinkable in the old days. If I can ever spare the time I'd love to sit down and give them a good solid play.

TIGSource: Since releasing Doukutsu, have you received any requests to develop games commercially? Would you ever consider it?

Pixel: Some people say they'd like to see Cave Story come out on household gaming devices, but I'm not sure how to go about that. If I were to get into commercial development, I worry that I might not be able to create things the way I want to, so...

TIGSource: Do you prefer to work alone? Would you ever consider working with other people on games?

Pixel: I've worked with others on projects. It was quite fun. However, when you carry out the planning and creation as a group, my impression is that you lose a lot of flexibility and have to take on all kinds of new troublesome issues. That kind of situation is for the pros (the ones who make games as a job), and I don't see a great deal of merit in it for individuals.

TIGSource: Do you play games often? What are your favorite games?

Pixel: I think I used to play an inordinate amount of games. Ever since I decided to make my own, though, my play time has dropped dramatically, and these days I haven't had any time for games.

I think anyone who plays Cave Story will figure out which games are my favorites.

TIGSource: Your artwork, both pixel and traditional, is also very good. Who are your artistic influences?

Pixel: I've always liked pixel art. I've been influenced by all the different pixel art I've seen in games through the years.

TIGSource: How did you create the music for the game? Any musical influences?

Pixel: I don't know all that much about music, as I'm not a terribly good student. But what I do is put some notes together, give them a listen, and decide if they sound good or bad. If they sound bad I erase them, and if they sound good I keep them. Then, repeat.

TIGSource: Do you have any plans for future games?

Pixel: No, none.

TIGSource: Any plans for non-game development?

Pixel: I'm working on a music-writing tool.

TIGSource: Will there ever be a sequel to Doukutsu?

Pixel: I have no plans to make a sequel.

TIGSource: Will your games continue to be free to play?

Pixel: If the benefits of going shareware were to outweigh the benefits of freeware, I'd go with shareware. Right now, though, I don't see much point in shareware...

TIGSource: What is your favorite food? We must know!

Pixel: While there are countless flavors of onigiri (Japanese rice balls), I find that just freshly cooked rice, sprinkled with salt and wrapped in a sheet of nori (seaweed), is the most delicious.

TIGSource: In closing, is there anything that you would like to say to your fans?

Pixel: Thank you very much for playing Cave Story. If I ever work on a game in the future, I hope you will play it as well.